After graduating from UC San Diego,Irwin worked as an engineer for three years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab,then for five years at Teledyne. [3] In 2003,Irwin was appointed to the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission,ran for City Council the following year,and became mayor of Thousand Oaks in 2008. [1]
Legislative tenure
Irwin is the chair of the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation, [5] and the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity, [6] and the Assembly Select Committee on Gasoline Supply and Pricing. [7] She also serves on the Committees on Agriculture,Business &Professions,Higher Education,and Privacy and Consumer Protection. [8] She previously served as chair of the Assembly Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs from 2014-2021. [9]
Irwin has also been appointed to other significant roles including the Governor's Military Council, [10] and as co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislature’s Task Force on Cybersecurity. [11]
2015-2016 session
During her first term in office,Irwin passed significant legislation. Irwin improved the cybersecurity of the state by mandating state agencies undergo independent security assessments, [12] she banned powdered alcohol, [13] expanded the ability of University of California research to be turned into real-world applications, [14] and worked with Attorney General Kamala Harris to create the OpenJustice Web portal to provide better access to criminal justice data. [15]
2017-2018 session
During her second term in office,Irwin helped secure critical funding for infrastructure projects in Ventura County,including $68.6 million for a grade separation project at Rice Avenue in Oxnard,California, [16] and $9.5 million for emergency wastewater treatment facility repairs in Oxnard,California. [17]
She continued her work passing significant cybersecurity legislation,enacting into law the first ever security requirement for Internet of Things devices. [18] Irwin also significantly changed how California Community Colleges approached remedial education in an effort to get students into transfer level courses. [19] [20]
2019-2020 session
In 2019 Irwin focused heavily on gun violence prevention legislation in response to the Borderline Shooting in Thousand Oaks,California. Her legislation strengthened Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs),in part by allowing them to extend up to five years. She also required law enforcement agencies to have policies about using GVROs. [21] Irwin also secured $3 million to support local law enforcement efforts to recover firearms from individuals listed in the Armed and Prohibited Possessors System. [22]
In October 2019,Irwin pulled out of attending a fundraising event for the family of an officer killed in the Borderline shooting. [23] After the Ventura County Sheriff's Office also withdrew from the fundraiser,citing a policy of non-participation in political events,the event was postponed indefinitely. [23] An organizer of the event was later arrested in Florida for felony violations of charitable solicitation law and misusing charitable funds. [24]
After her efforts to amend provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act in 2019,which passed unanimously through the legislature and were signed by the governor, [25] she received criticism for possible conflicts of interest based on her husband's position as COO of Ring. [26] Irwin claimed that she consults with the Assembly's ethics officer on any potential conflicts of interest. [27]
Irwin also authored ACR-17,which renamed a portion of U.S. Route 101 in Thousand Oaks after Sgt. Ron Helus,from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office,who died in the line of duty during the Borderline Shooting. [28]
In 2020,Irwin shifted the majority of her efforts towards assisting her district's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Irwin spearheaded efforts to collect personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line health care workers [29] and organized blood drives during a local shortage. [30]
Irwin also brought together local governments,academics,private businesses,and non-profits to conduct a COVID-19 antibody testing study in Ventura County. [31] Irwin worked with the group to acquire reliable and available serology tests to be used for the study. She also helped identify and secure locations that would be utilized as testing sites for the countywide study which offered free COVID-19 antibody testing to residents. [32] The antibody testing study was developed to not only understand the prevalence of COVID-19 in Ventura County,but was also modeled to understand the prevalence in targeted groups including first responders,low-income households,and those experiencing homelessness. [33] [34]
Irwin also set the highest level for recycled materials in plastic bottles,authoring a bill with Assemblyman Phil Ting to require plastic beverage containers to contain at least 50% postconsumer recycled plastic content by 2030. [35]
2021-2022 session
During Irwin’s fourth term in the Assembly,she continued to author landmark legislation into law. With support from Attorney General Rob Bonta,Irwin created new rules for online charitable giving providing protections for donors and nonprofits using website like GoFundMe,PayPal Giving Fund,and other online platforms. [36]
Irwin also worked to protect the elderly from hospice fraud by prohibiting incentive payments,a problem highlighted by investigative journalism by the Los Angeles Times. [37] She partnered with County Clerks to make permanent Californian’s ability to request vital records (e.g. birth,marriage,death certificates) online,rather than visit offices in person. [38]
